How The Utah Mammoth Became A Threat For Years To Come
The Utah Mammoth are putting their print on the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time.
This is the franchise's first playoff appearance in its history, since the Mammoth did not technically relocate from Arizona.
That said, the Coyotes sold all their hockey assets to Utah, and the Coyotes last made the post-season in 2019-20. So for captain Clayton Keller and the core that came over from Arizona, they're impressing in their first playoff appearance in six years.
The hockey operations crew has completely revamped and rebuilt its roster over the years. They've established a winning culture and a skilled, talented and young roster that can compete with the best in the league.
Although they face elimination in their first-round series against the experienced Vegas Golden Knights , they have proven throughout the first five games they can compete on this stage and be a problem for many years to come.
Let's look at how this roster was constructed over the years.
Cashing In At The Draft
One of the most important aspects of a rebuild is ensuring you select the right players in the draft and develop them into key pieces that can be inserted into your lineup, especially when you have lottery selections.
Coyotes and Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong and his crew did just that in back-to-back drafts.
They selected Dylan Guenther ninth overall in 2021 and Logan Cooley third overall in 2022.
These two have become a young, exciting duo for the team and the cornerstones for the future.
This season, Guenther posted his first career 40-goal campaign, while Cooley put up 43 points in just 54 games.
They haven't slowed down in this series either, with five and three points, respectively.
The 23-year-old Guenther and 21-year-old Cooley will continue to develop and produce with some of the top duos in the NHL.
Maintaining The Core
Only four players from the 2019-20 Coyotes squad remain on Utah's active roster. Three out of the four have been key contributors all season long.
Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz and Lawson Crouse have been through all the ups and downs. Management was able to keep these three around, and it's paid off.
Keller, who's in his 10th season and second as Mammoth captain, has continued to produce at an all-star level, leading the team with 88 points.
Schmaltz had a career year, posting 33 goals and 74 points.
Crouse put up 44 points and is tied for the Mammoth playoff scoring lead with five points.
All three are playing an important role, not just in terms of production but also in terms of having a veteran presence and establishing a culture for this group over the years.
Key Off-Season Moves
Two off-season transactions helped bolster this roster and fill out holes in the lineup.
In 2021, the team signed a little-known former fifth-round goalie, Karel Vejmelka .
This ended up being a fantastic signing as he has developed into a starter and the backbone of this team. His 64 games played led all NHL goalies during the regular season, and he posted a 2.75 goals-against average and .897 save percentage.
In 2024, Utah completed a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning for two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev . He has brought his playoff experience to this inexperienced roster and has thrived in the No. 1 defenseman role. Not only did he put up 59 points during the regular season, but he also led the team in average ice time.
This core isn't going anywhere either. All of those players except for Crouse are under contract through at least the 2027-28 season.
Throughout the Mammoth's roster, only Cooley will make more than $10 million per season when his contract extension kicks in on July 1, giving management a lot of cap space and flexibility to continue to improve this roster.
With top prospects, such as first-round picks Tij Iginla, Caleb Desnoyers and Cole Beaudoin, this lineup is projected to get even younger and more talented for many years to come.
Even if the Mammoth fall to the Golden Knights in the first round, this season was still a success – a building block and learning lesson for the future as this team continues to bring exciting hockey to Utah.
Luke Martil is an intern with The Hockey News.
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